Method of treating waste alloys for the purpose of removing therefrom certain constituents whose presence renders the alloys unsuitable for certain uses



Patented Aug. 18, 1931 PATENT OFFICE PAUL KEMP, OF VIENNA, AUSTRIAMETHOD OF TREATING WASTE ALLOYS FOR THE PURPOSE OF REMOVING THEREEROMCERTAIN CONSTITUENTS WHOSE PRESENCE RENDERS THE ALLOYS UNSUITABLEFOROERTAIN USES No Drawing. Application filed June 23, 1928, Serial No.287,895, and in- Austria June 28, 1927.

My invention relates to a method of treating waste alloys for thepurpose of removing therefrom certain .constituents whose presencerenders the alloys unsuitable for certain uses. Waste alloys, which areencountered in many metal working or metallurgical lines, frequentlycontain compound groups which of themselves are properly usable asalloys but the use of which is not feasible [0 because of the presenceof undesirable constituents.

An important example of such waste alloy is white metal containing theusual compounds-of lead bearing metal, viz :lead,

antimony and tin, but it also contains other metals, notably copper, theremoval of which from the alloy is a necessary condition to the utilityof the alloy as a bearing metal.

As the result of extensive and greatly varied experiments, I have foundthat removal of such undesired constituent or constituents from thealloy may be effected by treating the latter with silicon or siliconalloys, and particularly with ferrosilicon. I

have discovered that silicon, which term is intended to include itsalloys, has the incidental but technically highly welcome and valuableproperty, in.reacting with the elements in the melt, of assumingcommunity of phase with those only of the constituents whose presencethe alloy is undesirable, and this community of phase is not destroyedeven when the molten mass again sets.

85 Thus, in the case of white metal above referred to when treatmentwith silicon or its alloys is resorted to the lead bearing metalcomponent-group remains virtually unaffected while copper, which isundesirable for 40 the purpose in view, is practically quantitativelyseparated out. It' will be understood that the silicon or silicon alloytreatment may be repeated if one treatment does not effect completeremoval from the alloy of the undesired constituent.

If silicon alloys are used, which fre'gluently effect the removal fromthe alloy of t e constituent to be removed more quickly than siliconalone, the alloy as such may be added to the 'melt or the' constituentsof the silicon allcl y may be separately introduced into the me t. 7

Having now described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent is:

1. In the method of separating copper from copper-containing alloys oflead and other metals, the step which consists in treating the alloymelt with a substance of the class containing silicon, its alloys andall the constituents together of a silicon alloy.

2. In the method of separating copper from copper-containing alloys oflead and other metals, the step which consists in treating the alloymelt with'ferrosilicon.

3. The method of separating copper from copper-containing alloys of leadand other metals, consisting in repeatedly subjecting the alloy melt totreatment with a substance of the class containing silicon, its alloysand all the constituents together of a silicon alloy.

4. The herein described method of removing copper from alloys containingsuch copper as well as lead, antimon and tin, which consists in addingto the alloy melt a substance of the class containing silicon, itsalloys and all the constituents together of a silicon alloy.'

5. The method of treating iron-free copper-containing waste alloys,which comprises treating the same with a substance of the classcontaining silicon and silicon alloys, whereupon separation of a coppercontaining mass results.

6. Process according to claim 5 wherein the alloy treated is acopper-containing alloy of lead, antimony and tin.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

PAUL KEMP.

